"The only thing almost as mysterious as Sherri Papini’s disappearance was the hostage negotiator supposedly retained by an anonymous donor to find her"

TDB:

Gamble’s backer, an anonymous donor who offered at least $50,000 cash for Papini’s return, also sang his praises.
“My hired negotiator has negotiated hostage releases all over the world, so he will determine immediately if you are lying,” the person cautioned would-be scammers on his website SherriPapini.com.

...

The donor’s website offered a chilly message to police: “A note to Redding Police and Shasta County Sheriff’s department. Please don’t threaten me. I have received legal counsel and what I am doing is within my rights.”

Despite the fact that no ransom had been demanded and law enforcement was still actively pursuing leads, Gamble appeared in a number of televised interviews, offering supposed abductors a pathway to a large cash sum in exchange for Papini’s safe return, no questions asked.